Tabbed Box Generator in JSL

Craige_Hales · Mar 14, 2021 06:43 PM

The clock project is still moving forward. It needs a case of some sort. This is not the final case design, but the JSL to save the SVG pattern to send off to the laser cutter is a good start.

The JSL has an Explode parameter to help see how the sides slide into place.

The SVG output needs to be hand optimized; here's a test I did with Ponoko, grouping the parts to make four cases on the 15x31 material.

Trial arrangement. Use Inkscape to move and copy the outlines.

You can find online generators like Maker Case too. But I'm already thinking about a variation.

JSL attached, below.

Byron_JMP · ‎03-15-2021

This is super cool! Dang!

I might have miss read the comments, but I'm able to get one caselated edge in the SVG file (dummy.svg)

I'm not sure how to make it give me all the edges for all the sides.

Craige_Hales · ‎03-15-2021

It saves box.svg to the desktop, every time it rebuilds the displaylist. I just tried it and opened it in chrome:

They overlap, I used inkscape to arrange them and duplicate them.

It doesn't look like I can attach a file to a comment.

Craige_Hales · ‎03-15-2021

The extra rectangular ring was an idea I'm abandoning. Also there is no allowance for kerf. My past experience with Ponoko cutting wood made very thin kerfs. I'm probably going down the clear acrylic path and not sure what I'll get.

Craige_Hales · ‎03-15-2021

So this is closer to what I'm imagining: all clear acrylic sides, no gluing required:

Output from Kicad's 3D viewer above the JMP output

6 long screws with spacers, etc to hold the circuit board between the front and back faces. Power through bottom orange side, could be table top or wall mount. Being able to disassemble it is important; the USB port for reloading the firmware is deep inside!

Byron_JMP · ‎03-17-2021

the script runs just slightly differently on the pc and Mac. On the pc there is a file name on the bottom left hand corner, which makes it obvious where the file is going and what its name is. On Mac, no such luck. But it still gets saved to the desktop as box.svg.

I adjusted the thickness for 5 mm plywood, and made a 3" cube with 3 tabs.

I opened the file in Adobe Illustrator, made copies of the top and sides, so I could make a cube. The parts are aligned so that the laser doesn't follow the same trace twice (to avoid fire)

Screen Shot 2021-03-17 at 10.03.11 AM.png

Screen Shot 2021-03-17 at 9.31.50 AM.png

box 3x3 3-tab.png

Script to physical cube was less than 15 min.

The fit is just a tad little loose, I'll try to decrease the kerf just a little for the next one.

Thanks Craig, this is a fantastic script!

Craige_Hales · ‎03-17-2021

I didn't plan for the kerf to be adjusted; it will have to come out of the alternating tab and slot lengths. Thanks! What kind of laser cutter are you using?

Byron_JMP · ‎03-17-2021

Its about a 40W CO2 laser with a kerf of 0.22-0.21mm or about 0.009 inches.

ryandewitt · ‎03-18-2021

This is really an enjoyable inspiring post. Thanks Craige for the script and Byron for the immediate implementation. What can't you do with JMP?

Craige_Hales · ‎05-16-2021

Thanks @Byron_JMP for your help! I've completed the hardware prototyping phase, the three rev 1s, and the three rev 2s, shown here:

Using T20 security screws on the front, slotted pan head on the rear.

I just got a brick of PCBs from OSH Park.

Version 3. Not too many changes, mostly labels and a few hole sizes.

One of the big changes was leaving off the purple solder-resist in a couple of places so a component can be epoxy mounted to the board. You can see the GPS antenna (tan square, center top) in the top picture; in that prototype I scraped off the resist. 30 second epoxy is too fast! I'll use 30 minute epoxy in the future; the 30s stuff goes solid in the mixing tube before a second antenna can be placed!

Along the way I've been making updates to the software. Some of the built prototypes are up-to-date and others are not. I'll have to remove the back to access the USB port to update them. But maybe only one more time! I've added the support for OTA - over the air - updates so future updates can probably be made without taking them apart.

I think I've acquired all the parts. The pandemic has made availability of mechanical and electronic parts an issue. A few more lines of code to write, and then on to construction.

Byron_JMP · ‎05-18-2021

The project is looking great! The security screws on the front add a air of industrial robustness.

If you need a back panel with a slot for the USB cable, send me the file and I'll run a couple.

Craige_Hales · ‎06-06-2021

I saw something shiny on the web and got distracted. I need to finish this project first! I decided to load the ESP32s with their initial program this morning, and in the process found one that had a significant defect. I decided to do a more thorough visual inspection and found two more that seem fine, but I'll set them aside.

Using the breadboard setup and USB to load the initial program. This one has a minor flaw that doesn't seem to hurt anything.

A slightly uglier defect which I can clean up. Not a complete bridge; still works.

This bridge across two outputs has to be cleaned up.

Always good to have a spare. These loaded and look OK.